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Hailing all the way from the Lone Star State of Texas, Karen Soo Hoo’s original music has often been described as a “Mosaic of Sound”. Karen serves up a tasty blend of Jazzy/Pop to Bluesy/Rock. Some of her previous performances have included openings for established acts such as: rockers Chris Isaak & Joan Jett, singer Taylor Dayne, comics Margaret Cho & Kathy Griffin, the rock group “Train”, and jazz prodigy, Taylor Eigsti. Her music has been heard throughout various media outlets: KGO NewsTalk 810 AM radio, college radio stations KKUP 107.5 FM, KUOP & KZSC and various PBS television programs. Karen was a grant recipient from the Asian American Arts Foundation & philanthropist, S.Kneisley. Aside from being a singer/songwriter, Karen is a multi-insturmentalist, performing on guitar, drums & percussion. Her passion for the culinary arts led to her appearance on the award winning KQED television series, “Check Please!Bay Area”.

Nkechi (pronounced nnn-KAY-chee) is a female actor, singer-songwriter and painter. She recieved her Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. While at Stanford she performed in a few theater productions and on a dare auditioned for and was chosen to sing lead for a college band. After working a few years as an engineer for a leading semiconductor chip manufacturer in Silicon Valley following college, she became inspired to leave engineering and pursue life as an artist. She hasn’t looked back since.

As a musician Nkechi is a singer-songwriter whose voice and music explore a range of music territory, from acoustic soul to folk rock and pop in a signature inspirational and lyrical sound. Nkechi’s rich vocal textures and knack for improvisation make her live performances a dynamic one-of-a-kind experience. She writes and delivers conscious messages through verse, rhyme, and melody.

A multi-instrumentalist as well as a poetic and passionate songwriter, Jenny Kerr is known for foot-stomping live shows and powerful, authentic voice. Her self-produced debut release, Itch drew critical acclaim as well as comparisons to Delbert McClinton and Janis Joplin. The album sold out during her first year of touring. Kerr is a skilled player of fingerstyle guitar, clawhammer banjo, harmonica, piano, and dobro. Together with her band of road-tested rogues, she delivers a seasoned yet spirited sound with forays into swamp rock, straight-up soul, backwater honky tonk, and old-time blues.

Kerr is a San Francisco native who as a kid used to take the bus over to the Haight-Ashbury district to see the blues and folk revival concerts of the late sixties. Attending shows by the likes of Joplin, Hendrix, and Muddy Waters eventually led her to an older roster of musical discoveries such as Mississippi John Hurt, Little Walter and Dock Boggs. (It was sometime around then that she started playing guitar and harmonica.) Today her music is steeped in contemporary production values, but informed by the eclecticism particular to that time, stretching the boundaries of genre, style, and race.

Her genre ‘Celtic to Coltrane’ is cool and eclectic with a feel of Jazz & storytelling to round out the sonic experience. Destiny has opened for The Oakland East Bay Symphony, shared the stage with Jazz Masters Azar Lawrence, Marcus Shelby, Omar Sosa, John Santos and co-starred in Def Jam Poetry Winner Ise Lyfe’s Hip Hop Play ‘Pistols & Prayers to name a few. She has also headlined for the ‘Women in Jazz’ Concert series in San Francisco. Destiny is expanding her musical ideals with her project(s) S.O.N.G/ Strings of a Nubian Groove Nubian string ensemble,The Destiny Muhammad Project, & The Richard Howell Quintet (RHQ)

Destiny is Governor Emeritus and Educational Chair Emeritus of the Recording Academy, San Francisco Chapter, Jazz Heritage Center of San Francisco Jazz Ambassador and an ASCAP Songwriter Awardee

Hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area, Amelia Romano embodies the feelings and aspirations of an artist driven with desire to change the landscape of the world. Having played harp in a variety of ensembles and as a soloist since the age of 9, she continues exploring new avenues of multicultural, contemporary and original music, integrating the struggles of this world into her musical compositions.

After volunteering at Ntonga Music School outside Cape Town,South Africa where she taught harp, in 2009, she was invited back by the school founders, the Playing for Change Foundationwww.playingforchange.org following her graduation from UC Berkeley. Working as a teacher and school coordinator for youth at the Ntonga Music School, further informed her passion for teaching in underserved communities www.harpntonga.blogspot.com.

Hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area, Amelia Romano embodies the feelings and aspirations of an artist driven with desire to change the landscape of the world. Having played harp in a variety of ensembles and as a soloist since the age of 9, she continues exploring new avenues of multicultural, contemporary and original music, integrating the struggles of this world into her musical compositions.

After volunteering at Ntonga Music School outside Cape Town,South Africa where she taught harp, in 2009, she was invited back by the school founders, the Playing for Change Foundationwww.playingforchange.org following her graduation from UC Berkeley. Working as a teacher and school coordinator for youth at the Ntonga Music School, further informed her passion for teaching in underserved communities www.harpntonga.blogspot.com.

http://squeezeboxgoddess.com/

Renée singing on a street corner in North Beach. She’s a dynamite solo performer; her eclectic music spans from traditional French and Irish to 80′s pop-punk to funny songs and children’s music. She’s happy to book gigs solo, duo, trio, or with a full band. When she’s not performing, she repairs accordions at Smythe’s Accordion Center in Oakland, CA.

A young vibrant, soulful red headed ball of talent and gorgeous! We are excited to have Steely Nash with us this year. https://www.facebook.com/steely.nash

After my training at SFSU and with private instructors from SF Conservatory and Dominican College, I was asked to teach voice and chose to work independently. I have been teaching for
the last decade and work with people from all walks of life and
with varied musical interests.

My training as a bellydancer started with teachers from the Bay area and has continued on with workshops by the Bellydance Superstars and other reputable dancers. I have taught at the former Sophia Healing Center, Footloose Dance Studios SF, and currently teach multiple classes with the San Francisco Park and Recreation Department.